Reactive psychosis is a common diagnosis in the Nordic countries (Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Iceland) and in several other parts of the world. In ICD-9 and DSM-III-R, the concept is defined more narrowly than in the Nordic tradition. In this study we examined the interrater reliability of the Nordic concept by the case-summary method between clinicians from 9 university departments in the Nordic countries. The results show that Nordic psychiatrists have a reasonably reliable concept of reactive psychosis, and that this psychosis can be diagnosed as reliably as schizophrenia and affective psychosis.

The relationship between mental disorder and social background has for many years attracted the interest of epidemiologically oriented psychiatrists. Investigations in several countries have demonstrated that patients admitted to mental hospitals are recruited to a large degree from the lower social strata of society, but there is still a vast difference of opinion in so far as interpretations of these findings are concerned.

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was started in the autumn of 1970. It is organized as an out-patient clinic which is in the main directed towards former inmates of the hospital who progress to aftercare. It has a day-unit capable of handling 20-35 patients and a night-unit with accomodation for 20. Both day and night patients have formerly been for the most "day boarders"Neevenglrden Hospital is the psychiatric hospital for the counties of Bergen and Sogn & Fjordane, and the main hospital has 320 beds and a turn over rate of 650 patients per year. The after-care department is situated some 300 m from the main hospital and separated from it by a heavily-trafficated main road. The hospital lies some 4 km from the centre of Bergen.The reorganisation of the hospital over the past two years, and the runningin phase of the after-care department have recently been described (Retterstel, 1971. Ose, 1971, Salvesen, 1971).The department enjoys quite a consirable staff including three doctors, one psychologist, two social workers, six nurses and two work-therapists. Five of the six nursing sisters have undergone special training in psychiatric nursing. The organisation of the Department permits flexibility in the treatment and great emphasis is placed upon follow-up by home visits.The after-care department takes upon itself the continual and final responsibility for former in-patients of Neevenglrden Hospital. For those patients from the city of Bergen district, we are able to offer a complete psychiatric health service in co-operation with the units which provide a 24-hour service. In the case of patients discharged to their homes in the county of Sogn and Fjordane, after-care has to be arranged in co-operation with the local Medical Officer of Health. Frequent contact with the department is made difficult by virtue of the large distances involved. We hope that in time we shall be able to establish a follow-up routine in Sogn and Fjordane in combination with the local primary health team.The department's clinical activities include individual and group-psychotherapy and medication.